When a generational talent like Caitlin Clark rewrites the record books, the world is desperate to know one thing: How? We watch the logo-threes, the no-look passes, and the fearless swagger, and we search for the source code. We compare her to Steph Curry, to Pete Maravich, to anyone who has ever dared to play with that much audacity.

Now, Clark herself has ended the speculation, dropping a list of her six all-time favorite basketball players. And while some names are expected, one, in particular, is a stunning curveball that has left fans reeling—a name that, in retrospect, explains everything about her fearless, electrifying style.

Her list is not just a collection of G.O.A.T.s. It’s a blueprint—a carefully curated mosaic of skill, mentality, and inspiration that, when pieced together, creates the phenomenon we see on the court today. The list includes a WNBA trailblazer, an NBA G.O.A.T., a modern revolutionary, a creative genius, and an unstoppable scorer.

And, most shockingly, it includes Jimmer Fredette.

The Blueprint: Maya Moore

Before there was “Ponytail Pete,” there was a hero. For a young Caitlin Clark growing up in Iowa, that hero was Maya Moore. Clark’s admiration for the Minnesota Lynx legend was her foundation. “Anytime someone asked who her favorite player was,” the video transcript notes, “Caitlyn didn’t even have to think. Her answer was always the same: Maya Moore.”

Moore was the complete package: a four-time WNBA champion, a four-time NCAA champion, and an offensive and defensive force. Clark didn’t just admire Moore’s highlights; she admired her “perfect blend of skill, leadership, and heart.” Moore was selfless, brilliant under pressure, and made everyone around her better. For Clark, this was the blueprint for greatness.

This lifelong admiration culminated in one of the most emotional moments of Clark’s career. On her senior night at Iowa, with the arena roaring, Maya Moore herself walked onto the court for a surprise visit. Clark’s “jaw dropped.” The hug they shared was a full-circle moment, a silent passing of the torch from one icon to the next.

The Revolutionaries: Steph Curry and Pete Maravich

It’s impossible to watch Caitlin Clark play without seeing the “Curry DNA.” The lightning-fast release, the effortless step-back three, the confidence to pull up from the logo—it’s all straight from the Steph Curry playbook. Clark grew up “glued to the screen” watching Curry prove that a 6’3″ guard could change the “entire geometry of the game.” Before Steph, a 30-foot shot was a bad decision. After Steph, it was a weapon.

The comparison is so common that Curry himself has commented on it, stating that focusing only on her shooting actually “takes away from Caitlin Clark’s full greatness.” He sees the complete player, the general who commands the floor, the playmaker—a sentiment that reveals the deep mutual respect between the two.

But long before Curry, there was another revolutionary, a man Clark has been compared to since high school: “Pistol” Pete Maravich. The creativity, the “no-look passes,” the “behind-the-back dribbles,” and the sheer “art of basketball” all live on in Clark’s game. She didn’t just admire Maravich; she studied him.

So when Clark shattered Maravich’s 50-year-old all-time NCAA scoring record in March 2024, it wasn’t just a statistical achievement. It was “destiny.” She had become the modern incarnation of the creative genius who had inspired her, earning her the fitting nickname “Ponytail Pete.”

The G.O.A.T. and The Unstoppable Force: LeBron James and Kevin Durant

When it comes to the “Greatest of All Time” debate, Clark doesn’t hesitate. “Not Michael Jordan, not Kobe Bryant,” the transcript emphasizes. For her, the “undisputed GOAT” has always been LeBron James.

What Clark took from LeBron wasn’t just scoring; it was his mind. She saw a 6’9″, 250-pound titan with the “vision” and “precision of a point guard,” an orchestrator who controls the entire game. This is Clark’s “superpower.” While she can drop 40 points, her real genius lies in her playmaking, breaking the all-time single-season assist record in her rookie year.

Like LeBron, she makes the right play, not just the highlight play. She’ll “drive into traffic, draw three defenders, and then fire a pinpoint pass to the corner.” The respect is mutual. LeBron “really follows the WNBA” and has publicly praised her game, a fact that left Clark stunned and honored.

Finally, there is the quiet influence of Kevin Durant. While she doesn’t talk about him as much, his style is all over her game. Durant, a 6’11” anomaly with guard skills, is “unstoppable” because he is versatile. He can “hurt you from anywhere.” Clark, at 6 feet tall, has that same “adaptability.” She can shoot over smaller defenders, post up, or finish through contact. She absorbed Durant’s mindset: “Be versatile, stay one step ahead, and make sure no defense ever knows what’s coming next.”

The Curveball: Jimmer Fredette

This brings us to the most “stunning” name on her list, the one that had fans doing a double-take: Jimmer Fredette.

Yes, that Jimmer. The BYU legend who set college basketball ablaze for two electric seasons, a phenomenon known as “Jimmermania,” before fading from the NBA. For a 9-year-old Caitlin Clark, Jimmer wasn’t just a player; he was an “obsession.”

She was “glued to her TV” for every BYU game. She and her cousins “used to watch him religiously.” She didn’t just watch—she studied his “fearless range” and his “forward-leaning jumper.” And, in the ultimate sign of fandom, she “literally owned a ‘Teach Me How to Jimmer’ t-shirt.”

This childhood obsession came full circle in 2024 when Fredette surprised her during the filming of Sue Bird’s show, Sue’s Places. What followed was a legendary three-point contest where Clark proceeded to beat her childhood hero and then, with her “signature grin,” delivered some “peak Caitlin Clark energy” trash talk. “It’s been fun hanging out with the two people who basically invented the three-point shot,” she roasted.

But why Jimmer? Why does this college flash-in-the-pan belong on a list with LeBron, Curry, and Maya Moore? Because Jimmer taught Clark a lesson that went beyond a pro career: “He showed her that you don’t have to be an NBA superstar to make an impact.”

Jimmer’s NBA career didn’t last, but his college run “lit a spark in a 9-year-old girl from Iowa.” He proved that “confidence, creativity, and fearless shooting could capture the world’s attention.” He made the game fun. That signature, forward-moving release Fredette used? Clark still uses it today, flowing into her shot to create power.

Jimmer Fredette’s inclusion is the secret key. It proves that Clark’s game wasn’t just built on the polished perfection of all-time greats. It was also built on the raw, unapologetic, and joyous audacity of a college kid who dared to shoot from anywhere.

Caitlin Clark didn’t just copy one player. She absorbed the essence of all of them: Moore’s leadership, LeBron’s vision, Curry’s range, Maravich’s creativity, Durant’s versatility, and Jimmer’s fearless joy. She blended them all into something the world had never seen before, creating a legacy that is now inspiring the very next generation to do the same.